Team India's bold selection call for the fourth T20I against New Zealand in Visakhapatnam backfired hugely as the men in blue suffered a disappointing 50-run loss. Heading into the fourth T20I, India opted for an unconventional playing XI that didn't yield a fruitful result. The surprise emerged from the absence of Ishan Kishan, who was ruled out after picking up a niggle ahead of the match. With Kishan unavailable, Shreyas Iyer was expected to fill the middle order. 

Instead, the team management went in a different direction, bringing in left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh. New Zealand, on the other hand, made full use of the pitch, posting a daunting 215 on the board. Their total put the onus squarely on India’s batting unit to deliver. 

India's top-order batters showed some resistance, but the lack of batting depth became increasingly apparent as wickets fell at regular intervals. India's lower order also tumbled under pressure as the hosts were dismissed for 165. Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra did not mince words while assessing the team’s selection strategy. He questioned the logic behind leaving out a batter like Shreyas Iyer in favour of an additional bowler.

"My biggest point is, why have you kept Shreyas Iyer in the team? When Tilak Varma got injured, I was the one who said Shreyas shouldn't be played because his name is not in the World Cup squad. However, when Ishan Kishan got injured, you had no other batter sitting outside," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

"Shreyas wasn't in the initial plans, but we cannot play with six batters and five proper bowlers, with Harshit Rana at No. 7. I dare say, what's the logic of making Shreyas Iyer sit out now? If you didn't want to play him, you could have kept Ayush Badoni or Shahbaz Ahmed. I can take four other names you could have kept," he added.

During India's chase, Shivam dube provided a brief resistance, blasting a marvellous 65-run knock featuring seven sixes and three boundaries. The fifth and final T20I between both sides will be held on Saturday in Thiruvananthapuram.